Mute



F. SORDILLO.

MUTE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14. 1919. 1

, 1 3 3 1 O8 Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

FORTUNATO SORDILLO, 0F DURUHESTEE, MASSACHUSETTS.

"MUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27', 1920.

Application filed November 14, 1919. Serial No. 338,000.

To all whomc't may concern Be it known that I, FORTUNATO SoRDrLLo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dorchester, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Mutes, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to mutes or sound damping devices for brass instruments, and more particularly to mutes which may be adjusted or tuned to their instruments.

The ordinary mute is adapted and permanently adjusted for use with but one instrument. If used with other instruments, even of the same type, it throws them out of tune; that is, causes them to be either flat or sharp, due to slight differences in dimensions between the instruments.

An object of mypresent invention, therefore, is the provision of a mute for brass instruments having means by which it may be tuned to any instrument of a given type with which it may be used, and furthermore, while it is in the instrument, whereby the tuning is facilitated and a more accurate result obtained than otherwise possible.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a mute having resilient friction means engageable with the bore of the instrument by which it is securely held in place therein, and also by reason of its resilient nature, in instruments having bores of slightly different dimensions.

While the ordinary mute may serve its purpose in reducing the loudness of the note played by the instrument, it can not be used successfully to produce the jazz effect so popular at the present time.

A yet further object of my invention, therefore, is the provision of a mute with means adapted to vibrate at a frequency independent of the vibration frequency of the notes played on the instrument, by which the jazz effect? is produced at a reduced intensity or loudness.

Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a mute embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the mute inserted in operative position in the bell of a brass instrument.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section along lines 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. t is a transverse section along lines 4& of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the mute illustrating the use of the adjusting or tuning knob as a support for the device.

As here shown, the mute comprises the hollow tapered or conical portion 10 of brass or other suitable material adapted to enter the flaring bore or hell of a brass instrument 11, as a cornet or trombone.

Spring-fingers 12 are secured by one end to the mute near the apex and extend along the axis thereof; and said fingers are preferably covered with cork or other suitable friction material 13 by which the mute is securely retained in the bore of the instrument. t is to be noted that, by the provision of the spring fingers, the mute may be applied to instruments having bores of con siderably diffe 'ent shapes and dimensions and will be securely retained in all such.

The cork or other friction material 13 is caused to extend an appreciable distance beyond the end of the resilient members 12, as indicated at 13 to prevent the direct engagement of the instrument with the mute as might otherwise occur in certain types or classes of instruments in which the mute extends an unusual distance.

The apex of said conical portion 10 of the mute is open-ended and a ring 14: is fitted therein and secured thereto, and serves as an apex-strengthening member. Communication between the interior or tuning chamber of the mute and the instrument is provided through said ring. v

The mute, at the base of the conical portion 10, is formed with a cylindrical portion 15 of suitable length and diameter permanently closed by the solid end plate or wall 16.

Said cylindrical portion 15 incloses and is a composite part of the mute tuning chamher.

The mute tuning means includes the disk or piston 1'7 disposed within said cylindrical portion 15 of the mute and substantially filling he cross-section of said portion although preferably, when properly supported, it is adapted to be sufficiently loss than the inner diameter to avoid all contact with the wall thereof.

It is desirable that said disk. or piston 17 forms, so far as the effect is conceived, a practically air tight joint with the cylindrical portion 15 of the mute although, as above stated, it is preferable that the disk itself is not in actual contact with the walls thereof. For this purpose a packing ring 17 of rubber or equivalent is cemented or otherwise secured to said disk at its periphery and is of such a diameter that it snugly engages the cylinder wall and forms the air tight joint thereat and yet permits a practically unrestricted movement of said piston.

Said disk or piston 17 is adaptled to be moved to assume a number of different positions within said cylindrical portion whereby the mute is tuned to its instrument; and the distance of the piston from the apex of the mute, or the volume of the tuning chamber of the mute therebetween, determines the tuning of the device.

For the purpose of conveniently adj ust ing the piston within the cylindrical portion of the mute an adjusting screw 18 is provided which is threaded substantially its entire length and has an adjusting knob 19 a secured at one end thereof.

The end wall or end plate 16 of said cylindrical portion is formed with an aperture therethrough and a bearing plate 20 is of suitable material, brass being preferred, is secured by solder or other means to said end-wall and receives the thrust and wear caused by the manipulation of the adjusting screw in the use of the device.

Said bearing plate has an aperture 21 therethrough forming a bearing in which the adjusting screw is received.

A thrust collar 22 of substantial diameter is fixed to said screw and cooperates with the knob 19 in restraining the screw against axial movement during the rotary motion thereof incident to the tuning of the device.

Said piston 17 has secured thereto an elongated member 23, relatively thick as compared to said piston, which extends from the central portion of the piston toward and terminates vithin its periphery. Said member and the piston at its center is formed with a threaded opening therein in which said adjusting screw is rotatably received.

A retaining screw 24; having its head of a diameter greater than that of the adjusting screw is secured in the end of said screw to form an abutment or retaining member to prevent separation of said piston and adjusting screw.

The rotation of the adjusting screw by itself would not cause the piston to be axially displaced and means are provided to restrain the piston from rotation during the rotation of said adjusting screw.

It is for this purpose that said member 23 is extended toward the periphery of said piston. An aperture 25 is formed therein and in the piston and a guide pin 26 is extended therethrough. Said guide pin is fixed in or otherwise secured to the end-wall 16 and extended within the mute substantially parallel with said adjusting screw; and said piston is adapted to slide on said pin. It is obvious that as the piston is re strained from rotation it must move axially within the mute upon the manipulation of the adjusting screw.

The knob 19 is of relatively large diameter and is formed with a fiat face 19 which may serve as a supporting base for the device between periods of use, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 5.

It is to be noted that the tuning disk may be moved throughout a considerable proportion of the effective length of the mute, and thereby may vary, to a considerable extent, the volume of the mute brought into play in its use, and therefore it has such a range of tuning that it may be used with a plurality of brass instruments of difi'erent types or characteristics, as, for instance, a cornet and trumpet.

Said tuning disk is formed of relatively thin material and is supported at its center, whereby it is free to vibrate and thereby assumes special and valuable characteristics. lVith the usual method of playing, the disk vibrates in unison with the air column in the instrument and the typical mute tone is obtained, as with the usual mute. In addition, by attacking the tones strongly, the disk is set to vibrating at its natural period and independent of, or in addition to, the frequency of vibration of the air column of the instrument, with the result that the jazz effect is produced which is unobtainable with the ordinary mute because the base of the device must be relatively thick and permanently secured to the side walls and thereby restrained against free and independent vibration.

By means of the free and movable disk within the sealed chamber of the mute a sounding board effect is produced.

It is obvious that other and modified ar rangements suggest themselves yet which are within the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A mute having a tuning chamber, a movable piston therein and means to move said piston in said chamber.

2. A mute having a tuning chamber, an end wall therefor, and a sounding board ad.- justably arranged within said chamber in front of said end wall.

3. A mute having a tuning chamber, an immovable end wall therefor, a movable sounding board disposed within said. chamber in front of said end "all, and means to move said sounding board. relative to said end Wall.

1. A mute having a tuning chamber, an immovable end-wall therefor, a movable sounding board disposed within said chamber in front of said end wall, and adjusting means extended through said end wall engaged with said sounding board for its movement within said chamber.

5. A mute having a tuning chamber, an

end wall therefor, an adjusting screw rotatably supported in said end wall and extended therethrough into said chamber, a piston substantially filling the cross section of said chamber in threaded engagement with said screw, and means to prevent the rotation of said plate.

6. A mute having a tuning chamber, an end wall therefor, an adjusting screw rotatably supported in said end wall and ex tended therethrough into said chamber, a piston substantially filling the cross section of said chamber in threaded engagement with said screw, said piston having an aperture within its periphery, and a pin fixed to said end wall extended within said chamber, loosely received in aperture in said piston.

T. A mute having a tuning chamber, an end wall therefor, an adjusting screw rotatably supported in said end wall and extended therethrough into said chamber, a piston substantially filling the cross section of said chamber in threaded engagement with said screw, said piston having engaging means with a stationary means, and sta tionary means in sliding engagement there with to prevent rotation of said piston.

8. A mute having an instrument-entering portion, and a portion adapted to be clear of the instrument, and mute adjusting means having a manually engageable member extended through said latter portion for manual engagement.

9. A mute having a tapered instrumententering portion, and a cylindrical portion, said tapered portion having an opening in its apex communicating with the interior of the mute, said cylindrical portion having a solid end wall, a thin disk arranged within. said cylindrical portion to occupy substantially the cross-section of said portion, and means to support said disk at its center clear of the side wall of said portion for undamped vibration.

10. A mute having a tapered instrumententering portion, and a cylindrical portion, said tapered portion having an opening in its apex communicating with the interior of the mute, said cylindrical portion having a solid end. wall, a thin disk arranged within said cylindrical portion to occupy substantially the cross-section of said portion, and means to support said disk at its center clear of the sidewall of said portion for undamped vibration which admits of moving the disk axially within said cylindrical portion.

11. A mute having a cylindrical portion and an end wall, an adjusting screw having a bearing in said end wall, means to hold -said screw against axial movement there with, a disk disposed within said cylindrical portion and substantially filling the cross section thereof, said disk having a central threaded aperture, and said screw movably received therein, and means in slidable engagement with said disk to restrain it from rotation upon adjustment of said screw.

1 A mute having a tuning chamber, and a movable piston therein having its peripheral portion in substantially air-tight engagement with the side-wall of said chamber.

13. A mute having a cylindrical tuning chamber, a movable piston therein having a relatively rigid major portion of less than the internal diameter of the tuning chamber, and free from the side wall thereof, and a resilient packing ring secured to the peripheral portion of said piston arranged in substantially air-tight engagement with the sideall of said tuning chamber.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FOBTUNATO SORDILLO. lVitnesses T. T. GREENWOOD, H. B. DAVIS. 

